Contents of the article:
When planting leeks in open ground depends on the specific region and the expected time of harvest. To get a good harvest, just follow a few simple tips and this vegetable will always delight you with its germination.
Leek is a wonderful vegetable, without which it is difficult to imagine any European cuisine. In addition to the excellent taste, leek also has a number of useful properties that are successfully used in modern dietetics. Writer Anatole France in one of his stories called leek "Asparagus for the poor."Indeed, many dishes in which leek replaces asparagus are not inferior to the original in taste, and sometimes even improve them. In England, this type of onion is used not only for gastronomic purposes, but also as a fertilizer. If you leave in the ground a powerful root system of onions, then in the future it will enrich the earth with organic matter. And in Wales, his image flaunts on a coin of 1 pound. 
Planting
Planting leeks in open ground begins with the preparation of seeds and seedlings.
The choice of sowing method or planting seedlings depends on climatic conditions. To plant leeks in the open ground with seeds, we need comfortable and warm conditions. If your climate zone is characterized by long winters and spring frosts, then this option will not work. If the seeds still take root and ascend in the end, you can get thin and weak stems, not much resembling leeks.
Seed preparation is soaked in warm water( at room temperature 20-25 ° C) for a day and further dried to obtain a granular material.
To obtain seedlings, the leek is planted in small boxes with pre-prepared soil. The planting density can be any, but in order not to swoop onions in the future for 1 box with dimensions of 35x50 cm, 2 g of seeds is enough. Before planting, ready-made seedlings should be slightly tempered, for this it is enough to take them outside to a protected place for wind for 2 days.
The growing season of a leek is long enough 60-70 days. And the time of planting seeds depends on your climate. To know, for example, when planting leeks in the ground in Siberia, it is necessary to approximately know the period of the onset of spring and push off from it, counting 60-70 days for ripening seedlings. Leek is a frost-resistant plant, but young shoots may not survive the arrival of cold weather.
For the Siberian region, it is possible to plant only using the seedling method.
When planting leek in the Moscow region depends on the desired harvest period. Usually the seeds are planted 70 days before planting in open ground, this is the middle - the end of February. Then in the first half of May from 5 to 15 the number of seedlings is planted in open ground. For better survival, the stems and root of the plant should be shortened by 1/3.Harvesting takes place from mid to late October.
Leeks in the Urals are planted in the ground as well as in Siberia, by transplanting. Leek biennial plant and roots left for the second year can withstand even severe frosts.
Leaving
Leek in open field requires little maintenance. It consists of:
- Watering. In order to obtain better yield, it is advisable to water the vegetable during a period of prolonged drought and high temperatures.
- Loosening the soil and removing weeds. Periodically between plants it is necessary to remove all weeds and loosen the soil, this procedure can be repeated until the moment when the onion stem can no longer be smashed.
- Mulching. To preserve moisture in the soil, and, if possible, to prevent the emergence of weeds, mulching is practiced using tops of plants or peat.
- Hilling. If you start to pile up leeks from mid-summer, then as a result you can get most of the bleached stem that is used in cooking.
- Feeding. To get really big stalks, leek must be fed at least 3 times during the growing season.
As for pests, the leek is subject to the onion fly. To combat this pest, it is enough to plant a carrot between the beds or sprinkle onion beds with tobacco. This combination of odors scares onion flies. You can also periodically spray the beds with onion infusions with strong and sharp odors, such as pine needles, mint or wormwood. 
The appearance of dry leaves is a signal for the appearance of a pest in the garden.
Storage
Leek is perfectly storage and at the same time does not lose its beneficial properties.
There are several ways to store onions:
- freeze;
- dry;
- prikopat river sand;
- pickle.
If you adhere to the recommended planting dates and provide leek with the right care, you can provide your family with useful vegetables for the whole year.
Read also the article: how to plant onion sets in open ground!
